Dead, but Not Gone
by Zodiac Rain
Summary: Kristy unexpectedly died at a BSC sleepover... but her ghost still remains. Will she be able to get Dawn to answer her biggest question: Who killed me?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Baby Sitters Club or any of its "sister" books. The Baby Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin and Scholastics. I am simply borrowing their characters for a _non-profit_ writing.

**Thanks to: **Ann M. Martin for writing such a great book series and Christopher Pike for inspiring me with his book, _Remember Me_. Without these two, this fanfic would not be.

**Prologue **

_(ZodiacRain, 6-12-06) _

Dawn Schafer stepped into her house, waving goodbye to her boyfriend. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hideaki!" she cried as she stepped into the house.

Locking the door, she paused to reflect on what a great boyfriend she had. Hideaki Eddy Nishisawa was a Japanese-American who had recently moved to California from New Mexico. Hideaki was 16, just like Dawn, and went to the same school as her.

Hideaki and Dawn had only a few things in common, and one of those things was their complex family. Dawn had a mother, father, two stepparents, a baby brother, a step sister, and a half-sibling. Half of her family- her mother, stepfather, and step sister- lived in Connecticut. She currently lived with the other half of her family. Hideaki's mother was deceased, but before she died, she divorced his father and got married to his stepfather. Hideaki had a stepfather, a stepmother, a father, four stepsiblings, and one adopted sibling.

Another thing that Dawn and Hideaki had in common was their love of the environment and love of the beach. Both were members of the school's environmentalist club, and both were beginning surfers. They also loved children; Hideaki was an associate member of the We Love Kids Club. That, however, was where their similarities ended.

Dawn had long, blond-white hair, while Hideaki had short, jet-black hair. Hideaki's Asian complex strongly differentiated from Dawn's California stereotype looks. Dawn preferred casual clothes, but Hideaki preferred clothes from fashion magazines. Hideaki was the calmest, coolest guy; despite his hectic schedule, he rarely seemed to worry. Dawn didn't have any jobs outside of babysitting and her summer job at a local health food store. Hideaki, however, shuffled being a babysitter, animal shelter volunteer, McDonalds cashier and the perfect boyfriend around. Sometimes this created a lot of stress between Hideaki and everyone else (including Dawn), and there had been calls in which Dawn almost broke up with Hideaki, but, for now, they were the perfect couple….

As Dawn set down her keys, her mind began to wonder. She was thinking about her friends, both Connecticut and Californian. After Ducky had died in a car crash, things seemed sorrowful in California. Ducky had been the one who introduced Hideaki to Dawn…. Dawn missed Ducky so much….

Dawn knew that she wasn't the only one dealing with a death, though. Dawn remembered the email she had gotten from Mary Anne only a couple of weeks ago…. Stacey's father had been murdered. Poor Stacey actually _saw_ the murder…. Luckily, they caught the murderer and Stacey recovered relatively quickly.

Another unpleasant memory filled Dawn's head. Claudia's older sister, Janine, had been accepted to Harvard University only a year before. Even Claudia was excited for her sister as she stepped on board the plane…. Janine never made it to Harvard, however. The plane had crashed in an unexpected storm.

Dawn decided to think of something else, like Hideaki. Hideaki was the perfect boyfriend… caring, loyal and cute, unlike that jerk Logan. Logan had dumped Mary Anne a year ago… at Logan's school's prom! Sense then, Logan had gone out with just about every girl he could get near. The last email Mary Anne had sent talked about how Logan started making out with Shannon the second she approached them. Obviously, Shannon and Logan was a couple.

Logan wasn't the only one who acted cruel toward her stepsister, Mary Anne. Abby had grown distant with the former Baby Sitters Club, until, eventually, Abby became friends with Cokie, of all people. She even participated in Cokie's cruel mind games.

So much had happened in three years. Kristy, according to Mary Anne, was still best friends with Mary Anne. Mary Anne was a straight A student and had become the secretary of the school's student council. She currently had her eyes set on a boy named Jeremy Himeshtiker. Jessi eventually came to high school, staying friends with Mary Anne, but also becoming friends with every member of the dance club. Mallory… hm, Dawn hadn't heard about Mallory in a long time. She probably was still in her boarding school.

Oh, yes! How could Dawn have forgotten? Kristy and Mary Anne planned a Baby Sitters Club reunion. Claudia, Stacey, Jessi, Abby and Shannon promised to attend. Of course, Logan couldn't attend as he was a guy; Mallory and Dawn, herself, could not attend as they weren't in Connecticut.

The reunion would consist of a simple sleepover at Mary Anne's house. Actually, Dawn noted, the sleepover should have taken place tonight. It was a perfect night for a sleepover, at least in California- it was Friday, and the summer heat lasted late into the night. She wondered how the sleepover was going.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Dawn looked at the clock; it was almost 11:00. Who would be calling this late at night? It couldn't have been Hideaki; Hideaki couldn't have gotten home so quickly, and he didn't like late-night calls. Dawn picked up the phone. "Hello, Schafer residence. Whom may I ask is calling?"

"D-dawn?" A voice sniffled over the phone.

"Mary Anne! What are you doing?" Dawn cried. "It's almost 3 in Connecticut- Are you all right?"

Mary Anne started sobbing on the other end of the phone. "D-dawn, Kristy- she- she's d-d- DEAD!"


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Baby Sitters Club or any of its "sister" books. The Baby Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin and Scholastics. I am simply borrowing their characters for a _non-profit_ writing.

**Thanks to: **Ann M. Martin for writing such a great book series and Christopher Pike for inspiring me with his book, _Remember Me_. Without these two, this fanfic would not be.

Author's Note: Forgive me for making any mistakes in the legal system. I'm not sure if police reports on people's deaths are confidential, but, for the purposes of the story (and the limit of my knowledge), they aren't. Also, I'm not completely sure if a blow to the shoulder is fatal, so you'll have to forgive me if it is because I wrote that it isn't.

**Chapter ONE**

_(ZodiacRain, 6-11-06) _

"Dawn," Dawn heard someone yell her name.

Dawn looked around. The flight to Connecticut had been extremely unpleasant; the plane had run into turbulence three times, and the baby in the seat behind her cried for the majority of the trip. She was glad to be on the ground, although she was not glad for the reasons she was there. Dawn saw her mother approaching her.

"Hi mom," Dawn said, hugging her mother. She couldn't believe it. Kristy was dead. The conversation between Mary Anne and herself lingered in her mind:

_"Dead? What?"_

_"Stacey f-found her," Mary Anne hiccupped, "She (hiccup) was g-getting a glass of water, and she f-found Kri-Kristy on the ground surrounded by her bl-blood! S-someone (hiccup) killed Kristy, Dawn! We called nine-one-one and they said they couldn't (hiccup) help her. They said she was dead beyond revival, Dawn!" _

_"Oh my god," Dawn cried. "Can I speak to mom, Mary Anne?" _

_Mary Anne managed to say between sobs, "Y-yes, here you go." _

Her mother had talked to Dawn and to Dawn's father. The two agreed to let Dawn come to Connecticut and help Mary Anne in her time of need.

"I can't believe it," Dawn whispered. "Kristy's…."

"Shh, now, baby," Dawn's mother said soothingly, stroking Dawn's hair. "Everything's going to be all right. Let's go get your luggage, than we can discuss this."

The two didn't discuss much, however, on the ride home. Sharon tried to introduce small talk, talking about the recent strange weather patterns and Richard's recent promotion, but Dawn just gave one word responses. Finally, as they approached the small farmhouse the Spiers lived at, Sharon said, "Mary Anne needs you now, Dawn."

Dawn smiled a sad smile at her mother. Her mother continued, "This is going to be a rough week."

Dawn carried her baggage to the spare bedroom. The kitchen, she noticed, was closed off with yellow police tape; that had been where the murder occurred. The house, she noticed, seemed cold… but than again, it was only 70 degrees in Connecticut. It had been 99 degrees in California the day before.

"Dawn!" Dawn turned around to see Mary Anne. Mary Anne ran up to her and gave her a hug.

"How could this happen?" Mary Anne whimpered. Shaking her head, she said, "I'm sorry. I guess that's not a good way to greet you. How have you been, Dawn?"

Dawn forced a smile. "I was doing all right… Hideaki and I went out on a date to an expensive vegetarian restaurant last night. Hideaki asked for a tofu burger… he hated it. He turned green when he ate it."

Mary Anne chuckled slightly. "Hideaki sounds like a nice guy. Our reunion was going great last night… until…."

"Its okay, Mary Anne, you don't need to say anything," Dawn whispered.

Mary Anne shook her head. "We took photos last night," she said. Mary Anne walked into her bedroom and came back with a handful of photos. Dawn looked at them. The pictures consisted of one individual shot of each person in their pajamas, and a bunch of goofy shots. "Why are there balloons tied to everyone?" Dawn asked.

Mary Anne laughed a silent laugh. "Jessi had this idea: we would add something to everyone's outfit. Claudia's idea was to tie balloons to everyone's wrists and stomach. Abby had a contest idea, sort of. She dared everyone to sleep in the balloons; whoever had the least popped balloons the next morning would win."

Dawn raised an eyebrow. That was a strange contest…. Dawn looked over the photos. "Did you tell the police about these?" Dawn asked.

Mary Anne looked down at the photos. "Why, no I haven't. I'd completely forgotten about them. What would they use it for?"

Dawn sighed. "Mary Anne, I know you dislike the idea," Dawn said, "but there's a chance that someone from the former Baby Sitters Club might have killed her."

She had been thinking about it on the plane ride. Dawn knew that the window in the kitchen had been open- that was one of the things Dawn got from her father and mother's conversation. There was a chance that the murderer had spied through the kitchen window and snuck in at the opportune moment.

However, there was also the chance that someone from the sleepover had been awake when Kristy decided she needed the water. And it was also possible that they snuck down behind her without her notice. Any of them could have killed her and snuck back up stairs before Stacey decided to get her glass of water.

She might not even have needed to sneak back upstairs…. Dawn hated to think it, but it was suspicious, in her opinion, that Stacey found Kristy's body... however, Dawn wasn't going to go to any conclusions until she read the police report.

Wait? Why would Dawn need to read the police report? She wasn't a crime-scene investigator. The police would figure out who killed Kristy.

Mary Anne looked at Dawn, wide-eyed. "How could you think that, Dawn? Why would anyone from the Baby Sitters Club want to kill Kristy? We were all friends."

Dawn nodded. "Yes, we _were _all friends."

Mary Anne burst into tears. Dawn immediately apologized; she was supposed to help Mary Anne, and claiming that one of her ex-friends was a murderer was not how she was supposed to do that. Dawn sighed as Mary Anne stopped crying. "I'm sorry for being so," Mary Anne sniffled, "cry-baby-ish right now."

Before Dawn could respond, Sharon and Richard stepped in. They explained that the police reports on the event were back. Dawn asked if she could read it. Sharon and Richard gave each other a look, having an eye-to-eye conversation. Finally, Sharon said, "Yes, Dawn. If you want to…."

Mary Anne decided to stay upstairs. Dawn, Sharon and Richard walked into the living room, were Sharon read the report and Richard decoded it into common English. Finally, what felt like hours later to Mary Anne, Dawn came back upstairs.

"I know I said I didn't want to hear the report," Mary Anne said, "but I, well, I just didn't think I could handle it. I don't know if I can handle it, still, but…."

Dawn nodded, knowing what Mary Anne meant. "The police don't have a clue what her cause of death was. She was stabbed in the back by a knife, but the blow wasn't fatal. It was a blow to the shoulder blade…. She died immediately after, however, at least they think that because in the kitchen there wasn't a sign of a struggle. We'll have to wait for the coroner's report before we knew what killed her. They couldn't find any clues… not even fingerprints, so they're pretty sure that the person who killed her was wearing gloves."

Mary Anne was getting teary eyed again. "Mary Anne," Dawn started, but she interrupted her.

"I- I'm going to go to bed early tonight," she sniffled.

"Already, but it's only…" Dawn looked at the clock. It was already five? Hadn't she left the airport at ten? How could seven hours have past so quickly?

Mary Anne had already left the room by the time she regained her senses. She went downstairs, not sure what else to do….

Two hours had passed, and in those two hours Sharon had woken Mary Anne up and the family went out to eat, as they couldn't use their kitchen. When they got back home, Dawn felt tired and wanted to go to bed, too.

She lied down on the bed, but couldn't sleep. They were talking to loud downstairs, and it was really cold in that bedroom. It was then that it occurred to Dawn: this was where the sleepover had occurred.

Creeped out, she went downstairs. She saw two police officers looking around the kitchen. "Dawn, you should go back to bed," Richard whispered to her.

She nodded, and went back upstairs. Sitting down on her bed, she just stared at the ceiling, wondering why this had happened to Kristy. Finally, sleep caught up with her….

_Why am I still here? The others left the sleepover a couple hours ago… or was it yesterday? Why hasn't Watson or Charlie come and pick me up? Well, I suppose I could walk home…._

_That's odd… I can't seem to open the door. It's like my hand isn't there, at all…. _

_What happened last night? _

_Hm, that's odd. When did Dawn come over? _

_"Dawn," I whisper, "When did you get here? Aren't you supposed to be in California?"_

_Dawn doesn't respond to my question at all. Well, obvious, of course, she's asleep! I say, much louder, "Dawn, when did you get here?"_

_Still, no response. "DAWN!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Maybe I shouldn't have yelled so loud-_

_No response? But I was yelling at the TOP of my lunges…. I sit down on the bed next to Dawn. Suddenly, she starts shivering, and then she sits up. "Oh, hello, Dawn-"_

_"It's so cold in here," Dawn whispers. "I'm freezing!" Then she gets up… and her legs go through me as she gets off the bed. _

_What the? "How did you do that?" _

_Dawn looks over in my direction, but she doesn't seem to notice me. "Odd," she whispered. _

_I get up and stand next to her. "Okay, what's going on, Dawn?" _

_Then, I notice something about the mirror. I see Dawn looking around curiously… but I don't see myself. My eyes widen as I figure out why Dawn can't see me and why no one has picked me up yet…._

"_I'm… a ghost?"_

_I've died! How did this happen… well, I'm going to figure it out! _


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Baby Sitters Club or any of its "sister" books. The Baby Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin and Scholastics. I am simply borrowing their characters for a _non-profit_ writing.

**Thanks to: **Ann M. Martin for writing such a great book series and Christopher Pike for inspiring me with his book, _Remember Me_. Without these two, this fanfic would not be.

**Chapter TWO**

_(ZodiacRain, started 7-30-06)_

"_Kristy? Is that you?"_

_Kristy turned around to face Dawn. Dawn gasped- Kristy was covered in blood. She whispered something, but Dawn couldn't hear her. _

"_Kristy- they said you've died-"_

_Kristy walked over to Dawn. She noted that Kristy's walk was peculiar; her feet hardly seemed to touch the ground. "I have," Dawn heard echoing around the room._

_She had read many books on the topic, but never had Dawn expected to _see_ a ghost so clearly... not even when she thought that she was living in a haunted house. Dawn was speechless. "Solve the mystery," she heard echoing around the room. It sounded vaguely like a plea, but the noise was too scattered to tell. "Find out who murdered me, Dawn, so I can rest in peace."  
_

"_Find it out, Dawn, find it out, Dawn, find it out-" the mantra repeated itself, growing louder and louder until Dawn couldn't bear it. She tried to scream, but the noise was too loud. She was going to be engulfed by the demand-_

Dawn suddenly sat up. She looked around- she was in bed. _Yes, it was a nightmare, it had to be a nightmare. _That was her first thought.

Her second thought was, _It's so cold in here! _

Teeth chattering, Dawn went and put her clothing on. She went into Mary Anne's room, to find that she had finished getting dressed. "Dawn, what are you doing up so early? It's only-"

They both looked at the clock to see that it was almost noon. "Well, I guess it isn't very early," Mary Anne whispered, surprised she had stayed in bed so late.

Dawn noted, in the back of her head, that Mary Anne's room was a lot warmer then her own. "We've got to solve the mystery, Mary Anne."

"What mystery?" Mary Anne asked.

"We've got to find out who killed Kristy," she said.

Mary Anne looked surprised. "But, that's the police's job…."

"But what if we figure out something, Mary Anne, which might help the police find out who killed her?"

Mary Anne sat down on her bed, silently considering the idea. "Okay," she agreed after a few minutes of silence. She rummaged through her desk, and pulled out a notebook. "I never thought I'd need to create a new Mystery Notebook," she said.

Dawn sat down on the bed next to her. "Okay, well, for now, let's create a list of possible suspects based on what we know. Let's start off with the people that were at the party."

Mary Anne grimaced. She hated the idea that one of her friends might have murdered Kristy, but…. "Stacey found Kristy," she muttered.

"I was about to say that," Dawn said. "Stacey could have killed her and then faked finding her later…."

"But, Dawn, Stacey wasn't covered in blood," Mary Anne said, trying to think logically. "If she killed Kristy wouldn't she have blood on herself?"

"Maybe," Dawn said.

Mary Anne continued quickly. "And you said that whoever killed her probably had gloves on. Stacey wasn't wearing gloves."

"But we can't take Stacey out of the picture, yet, Mary Anne," Dawn said. "I've got a feeling about this…."

Sighing, Mary Anne wrote down Stacey's name and the evidence that it might have been her. Mary Anne highly doubted Stacey was a murderer. Why would Stacey kill when her father had been killed earlier? Stacey had seemed so troubled and upset… but, _maybe_, just _maybe_, that murder had driven her insane…. Reluctantly, Mary Anne explained that to Dawn, who nodded. "You should write that down," Dawn said.

"Gloves… Mary Anne, was anyone wearing gloves at the sleepover?"

"I'm not sure… why don't I get the photos from the party?" So she did, and the girls examined all the peculiar photos.

"Why did you tie balloons to yourself again?" Dawn asked.

Mary Anne was about to answer when suddenly Dawn noticed something. "There! Abby's wearing gloves…."

The two looked at the photo. Indeed, she was wearing gloves; it was the latest style- spring gloves- or, at least, Abby, Cokie and their friends thought so. "She _has _become Kristy's enemy. The two fought every day ever sense Abby started hanging out with Cokie… in fact, I'm surprised Kristy let Abby come to the party."

Dawn frowned. "Well, that could be a motive…."

"Dawn, no one is going to kill people just because they don't like them," Mary Anne said, "No one sane anyway."

But Mary Anne wrote the name down anyway. Before the two had a chance to compile any more names, Mrs. Spier came in and called them down for lunch. Then she explained that the police were going to investigate the house some more, and she told the girls to go out, at least until the police were done for the day.

The two stood outside for a couple of minutes, unsure what to do. Finally, Mary Anne said, "Let's go to the park."

Dawn nodded. The two walked to the park. It hadn't changed much from Dawn's memory. They were, however, growing more trees by the looks of it. Being the environmentalist she is, Dawn walked up to examine the trees, when she heard someone calling her name.

She turned around to see Mallory. But wasn't Mallory at boarding school? "Hi, Mallory," Dawn said, thinking that maybe it wasn't Mallory, and just someone who looked like her….

14-year-old Mallory said, "I heard what happened to Kristy, and I had to come. I'm guessing that's what happened to you?"

Dawn nodded. Mary Anne walked up to them. "Mallory! It's great to see you."

Mallory sighed, and the three sat down. "Adam and Byron's heart practically broke when they heard the news."

Dawn paused to stare at Mallory. The fact that she mentioned Adam and Byron was random… or was it? "I'm sure all of your family is…."

"Yes, but Kristy was going out with Byron," Mallory explained.

"What?" Dawn and Mary Anne asked at the same time. Byron was only 13; he was far too young to be dating 16-year old Kristy. Kristy never told Mary Anne of this relationship….

Mallory sighed, again. "It's confusing…. Adam gained a crush on Kristy a few months ago, and he told so to Kristy. Alan Gray- you remember him? From 8th grade?"

The two nodded. Alan was in half of Mary Anne's classes.

"Well, Alan was trying to get Kristy to go out with him," Mallory said, "and he did some pretty stupid things which got Kristy mad at him. So she agreed to go out with Adam just to annoy Alan… and the two started going out all the time. It took mom and dad a while to figure out, but when they did they didn't approve. I mean, Kristy's 16! What was she thinking?"

Mary Anne frowned. She wouldn't have approved, either, but Kristy was her best friend…. "Why didn't Kristy tell me this?"

"They were trying to keep it a secret," Mallory said, "I think so, anyway. The only reason I know this is because of Margo, who was going through a 'spying phase'... the 'phase' hasn't truly ended yet. But, anyway, Adam and Kristy went out for a few months before Byron started interrupting their dates and making Adam look like a fool.

"Byron was the only person in our family who didn't disapprove of Kristy and Adam's relationship… but then he gained a crush on Kristy. Adam and Byron practically became enemies when Byron started ruining Adam's dates. Then, Kristy left Adam for Byron. I'm not sure why; Margo didn't tell me. But she did tell me Adam and Byron never behaved the same towards each other- the only times they didn't fight was when Jordan was in the room. Byron moved into a different room… that's how bad things became.

"Then Kristy died. Byron and Adam aren't talking to each other, but at least they're not fighting," Mallory finished. Dawn and Mary Anne noticed that Mallory did _not_ seem bitter toward Kristy. She seemed sad that Kristy had died…. Well, it made sense, didn't it? Mallory had been friends with Kristy before she moved away, and way before Kristy started dating Adam. She was only told about Adam and Byron's fights….

"Wow," Mary Anne said, silently. "I didn't know about this…. I mean, I noticed that Kristy seemed to be busier then usual lately, but _dating_… I never would have guessed."

"Why did your parents let the dating go on if it was causing fights?" Dawn asked, but her mind wasn't really on the question; it was wandering somewhere else. _Alan… Adam… Byron…._

"They didn't," Mallory said, "but Kristy and Byron went out behind their backs."

A somewhat uncomfortable silence followed. The three walked around the park and changed the subject to the trees that had been planted. According to Mary Anne, it was a thing that the elementary school was doing. They were learning about global warming, and one kid suggested they plant trees because trees took up carbon dioxide. So the school looked into it, and, with the district's and government's approval, started planting trees at the park. Dawn noticed that some of trees looked younger than the others; those must have been planted more recently.

Then Margo ran up to Mallory and said that they were leaving. Dawn and Mary Anne said goodbye and sat on a bench. "Did you bring the Mystery Notebook?"

Mary Anne nodded.

"Well, I've got three more names for the book…."


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Baby Sitters Club or any of its "sister" books. The Baby Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin and Scholastics. I am simply borrowing their characters for a _non-profit_ writing.

**Thanks to: **Ann M. Martin for writing such a great book series and Christopher Pike for inspiring me with his book, _Remember Me_. Without these two, this fanfic would not be.

**Chapter THREE**

_(ZodiacRain, started 11-12-06)_

"Adam, Bryon and Alan," Dawn said.

Mary Anne looked up from the notebook. "Dawn, do you really think that they would have done that? I mean, I know they all dated Kristy, but-"

She looked at Dawn and saw that Dawn was annoyed. It was true that Mary Anne disagreed with all her ideas before she had a chance to defend them, but Mary Anne _did_ doubt it. Dawn's accusations just didn't make sense. "You're jumping to too many conclusions, Dawn," she said. "Besides, why would they kill her?"

"I've got my ideas, Mary Anne," Dawn said, "I know of some possible motives."

"Why, Dawn? Why are we playing detective here?" Mary Anne asked, frustrated.

Dawn sighed. Why were they? Suddenly, that weird dream came back to Dawn. "I guess it was because of this dream I had. In it, Kristy was there… she was asking me to solve the mystery and find out who killed her so she could rest in peace. I… I guess I'm doing it for Kristy's memory…."

The two sat in silence for a little while. Finally, Mary Anne broke the silence, asking, quietly, "Why do you think Byron or Adam or Alan killed her?"

"Well, both Adam and Alan wanted Kristy. Kristy dumped both of them. They could, very easily, have been mad about it," Dawn said, just as quietly. "And Byron… he might have been upset about the family troubles Kristy was causing. I'm not sure…."

Mary Anne wrote down the names and the 'evidence' into the mystery notebook, silently. "Let's go home," Dawn said.

"No," Mary Anne said.

"Huh?"

"I think we should go talk to Adam, Byron and Alan," Mary Anne said. Dawn stared at her as if she was crazy. "You want to find answers, right, Dawn? We'll, we've got to get them! Come on, we're going to Mallory's house!"

Dawn, dumbfounded by Mary Anne's sudden change, followed her. The two were just out of the park, Mary Anne marching ahead triumphantly, when Mary Anne suddenly stopped. Dawn almost collided into her. "What's wrong, Mary Anne?"

Mary Anne was staring, a surprised expression on her face, at the direction of a tree. Dawn followed her gaze and saw Logan making out with Shannon under one of the older trees. Dawn frowned, remembering how Logan had broken up with Mary Anne at his school's prom; Mary Anne was heart broken.

She looked at Mary Anne, worried. Tears were filling Mary Anne's eyes. "Oh, Mary Anne," Dawn said sympathetically. Obviously the emotional wounds Logan gave her were still sore. Mary Anne closed her eyes tightly.

When she opened them again, the tears were fading and her expression was icy cold. "Logan," she said loudly.

Logan pulled away from Shannon. "Oh, hi, Mary Anne," he said with a glance at her. Then he went back to looking at Shannon. Dawn glared at him, anger, like coals, filling her mind. How could he treat Mary Anne like that?

"I thought you were dating Cokie," Mary Anne said icily. Logan looked back at her, as did Shannon.

Shannon responded, "Logan broke up with Cokie. That… _girl_ was far too demanding and only wanted a _physical_ relationship. I'm giving him a better one, one that isn't just physical."

Mary Anne didn't respond to Sharon, still glaring icily at Logan. "Did you hear about Kristy?"

"Kristy, oh, I hate the girl, she dumped me for Alan Gray!" He shook his head.

Dawn gasped. "Logan, you went out with Kristy?" Things were getting more confusing.

"I dare you to say that again," Mary Anne challenged Logan before Logan could respond to Dawn.

"Why, is she listening, or something?" Logan asked jokingly. Dawn and Shannon grimaced. Shannon looked at the ground, a sorrowful expression crossing her face.

"No, she's not, Logan," Shannon said softly.

"How do you know?" Logan asked, his voice also softening.

"Logan, Kristy… Kristy died," Shannon said.

A shocked expression crossed Logan's face. "What? When did this happen?"

"Two days ago," Shannon said. Dawn watched as Logan tried to think up something to say. However, Mary Anne grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

Dawn saw the two talking as they pulled away, and she tried to listen in. But Mary Anne's voice, still cold, broke her concentration. "Logan," she said quietly, but venomously.

"What?" Dawn asked, Mary Anne's tone causing her brain to freeze in fear and shock. She had never heard Mary Anne speak so… _cruelly_ before. It sent shivers down her spine.

"Logan," Mary Anne repeated loudly, "I'm adding him to the suspects. He killed her, I know he did, you can't trust that…. Out of all those boys, he'd be the one to kill her."

Even though her mind was sluggish, Dawn could think of a few protests. Logan was the town player, he wouldn't notice if Kristy broke up with him. And his shock was pretty genuine when he heard about Kristy's death. But she didn't dare say anything out loud, not when Mary Anne was this angry.

"Um, let's go home," Dawn stated after a few minutes of silence, but all plans to go to the Pike's had been forgotten by Mary Anne. When they arrived home, Mary Anne skipped out on dinner, locking herself in her room.

Later, when Dawn went to bed in her room, she couldn't help but sigh. She couldn't fall asleep, with all these thoughts going through her head. The suspects list was growing… there were six people on it, Dawn realized. But the evidence for all of them was extremely tiny. And Kristy was dead.

Dawn still couldn't believe it. "We're missing something," Dawn said silently. Her attempts to find the killer were futile, she realized as sleepiness drifted over her. There were many possibilities they hadn't gone over yet. Who said it was just one person, or that everyone they talked to was truthful?

What if, Dawn thought silently, they were all conspiring together? What if all the former members of the baby sitters club, and the Pikes and even her parents… what if they had all planned it out? _Nonsense, _she thought to herself. _What would be the motivation?_

Mind heavy, Dawn finally fell asleep.

_I'm drifting, I realize. Throughout the day, I saw things in waves. One second, the police are investigating the kitchen. Why are they there? Is that where… I died?_

_The next, Dawn is home. And now, she's asleep. _

_I need to get her to see me. No one else can even feel my presence. Mrs. and Mr. Schafer didn't move a muscle when I floated towards them, and neither did Mary Anne. But I can't communicate just by sending her shivers._

_"A séance," I gasp. That's it! If I can tell her to host a séance, then she'll be able to help me. I've decided I need to move on to the next realm. I don't want to stay here, drifting in and out of consciousness, forever. I know there is a next realm, but why can't I move on?_

_ The second I think the thought, the answer comes to me. I need to find out who killed me and how I died. I would have moved on, I realize if I hadn't sent that message to Dawn in her dreams. Now I'm stuck here until the question is answered._

_But the question will be answered, I know it. I just need to get Dawn's help._

_"Dawn! Wake up Dawn! Come on, I know you can't hear me, but you can feel my presence, right? Right? DAWN!"_

_Yes! Dawn's waking up. I've got to focus all my energy… if I focus all my energy, she'll hear me. My mind wraps around the three words…._


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Baby Sitters Club or any of its "sister" books. The Baby Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin and Scholastics. I am simply borrowing their characters for a _non-profit_ writing.

**Thanks to: **Ann M. Martin for writing such a great book series and Christopher Pike for inspiring me with his book, _Remember Me_. Without these two, this fanfic would not be.

**Chapter FOUR**

_(ZodiacRain, started 1/30/07)_

Dawn awoke in the middle of the night. Looking around the bedroom, she wondered what woke her up. Suddenly, it became extremely cold. She looked at the window, wondering if that was the cause, but it was closed tight. Her bedroom door was closed, too. Whatever was causing this coldness was originating inside the room.

It was unnaturally quiet; her breathing sounded very loud. The moonlight coming in from the window cast a long white stream of light; it was the only thing that illuminated the room. It was too quiet… far too quiet.

"Is… is someone there?" Dawn asked softly.

_"Séance, Dawn Schafer." _

Clear as crystal, the words cut through the night, like a knife through butter. The voice, itself, was quiet, like someone whispering over a phone. But Dawn recognized the voice right away. It was undeniably Kristy's.

Dawn nearly shrieked, but stopped herself. She controlled the urge to run out of the room and into Mary-Anne's. In hope of hearing more, she held her breath. It was unbearably quiet. There wasn't a single body in the room, besides Dawn. There might have been two souls there, however…. "Kristy?" Dawn whispered hesitantly after ten long seconds.

There was no response. Dawn knew that the only way she could get a hold of Kristy was if she preformed the séance. Why else would Kristy request it? Not even bothering to change out of her nightgown, she ran into Mary Anne's room.

In the other room, Mary Anne was sleeping quietly. A frown crossed her face, as if though she were in the middle of a nightmare. Lightly, she muttered something; Dawn knew that, from time to time, Mary Anne would speak in her sleep, but it was never anything understandable. Dawn quickly, but silently, shuffled across the room. She bent down next to Mary Anne and lightly shook her arm.

"Mary Anne! Mary Anne!" Dawn whispered in an urgent tone. "Wake up! Come on, Mary Anne!"

"Dawn?" Mary Anne asked sluggishly, her eyes still closed. "Is it morning yet?"

"Wake up, Mary Anne!"

"Only if breakfast is ready…" Mary Anne mumbled, almost incomprehensibly.

"I heard Kristy."

"Hmmm?" Mary Anne asked sleepily.

"Kristy… she just spoke to me." Dawn smiled lightly as she noticed Mary Anne getting up. Her eyes opened slightly as she sat up in bed.

"What are you talking about, Dawn?" she asked, still sluggishly, but understandably.

"I just heard Kristy. She asked me to start a séance. She needs to talk to us, Mary Anne."

Mary Anne was staring at her. "Dawn, aren't you sure you weren't dreaming?" she complained.

"I wasn't. Mary Anne, you believe me, right?"

Her step-sister's eyes traveled across the room, and Dawn's eyes followed. The alarm clock said that it was two thirty five. "Dawn, it's two in the morning! Can't it wait?" she growled.

"No. I think she has something important to say, Mary Anne, and I think she needs to say it soon."

Mary Anne looked at Dawn, and saw the expression in her eyes. She knew that gleam; Dawn was not going to take no as an answer. Reluctantly, she said, "Okay."

A few minutes later, Mary Anne's bedroom looked like something out of a ghost movie. Dawn and Mary Anne had managed, somehow, to get the coffee table from the living room into the center of her room almost noiselessly. They pulled the chairs from their desks to one side and one edge of the table.

Dawn pulled a few spare candles from the dining room, and lit them carefully. Silently, she closed the door to Mary Anne's bedroom, hoping that nothing would wake up her mom or Mary Anne's dad.

However, the two had never participated in a séance before. The books Dawn read on the subject had never been too detailed. She whispered this to Mary Anne.

"I do know one thing, however," Dawn whispered, after sitting down. "One of us will need to be a medium."

"A medium?" Mary Anne asked, confused.

"A channel," Dawn explained, "someone that Kristy can contact us through."

"Well, she came to you, right?" Mary Anne said. "I think you should be the medium."

Dawn nodded, and the two sat down, staring confusedly at the table. "I don't know how to work with séances, but I think we'll need a Bible, or olive oil, or _something _besides this…"

"I don't have olive oil, and the Bible is in dad's room."

What Dawn did remember about séances was that everyone was supposed to hold hands. The medium was the only one who was allowed to talk… but she was the medium. What in the world was she supposed to say? _Maybe I could look it up online… No, we don't have time! I'll just have to freestyle and hope for the best._

She explained her thoughts to Mary Anne, who nodded seriously. They held hands, and became very silent. Dawn then said, clearly, "Kristy Tomash, can you hear me?"

Trying not to say the word 'umm', she continued, "Kristy, its Dawn… and Mary Anne. If you can hear us, please show yourself."

_Drifting… floating…. I was drifting, not a feeling going through my body. But thoughts went through my mind, burdensome, worried thoughts. Who killed me? Why did they do it? Won't someone help me?_

"_Kristy…"_

_Did someone say something?_

"_Kristy… it's Dawn…"_

_The voice is louder… Dawn? Who is Dawn? Wait!_

"_Please show yourself…"_

_Yes, Dawn, I remember now. She was a member of the Baby Sitters Club. She liked ghost stories, didn't she? Séances and all that stuff…. Séance! I'm supposed to hold a séance with them!_

_Come on, Kristy, they're calling for you…_

A peculiar smell filled the room, sort of like someone with a lot of perfume on had entered the room. Suddenly, Dawn began to feel sleepy, but she continued on with the séance, despite the tiredness. "Kristy… please show yourse…"

Then, without warning, Dawn fell forward, her head banging onto the table. She entered a deep sleep….

Hmm_, Dawn thought as she stood in an empty field. _I'm dreaming… odd, I can't believe I just fell asleep like that. _Dawn looked up at the sky and noticed it was red… blood red. A white balloon was floating in the sky, but it wasn't moving; it seemed to be waiting for Dawn. _

_Dawn turned around to see two other people. One of them was Kristy, she noticed, and she almost yelled her name- but then she saw the other person. There was a cloud of evil around the other person. Dawn couldn't see any of the other person's details, just a dark, man-shaped haze…_

_Suddenly, Kristy pointed frantically at the balloon. She seemed to be yelling something, but Dawn couldn't hear her. Dawn turned to the balloon and noticed that it was flying away into the blood red sky. Dawn turned back to Kristy, noticing that neither Kristy nor the person wrapped in evil seemed to notice her._

_Without warning, Kristy fell to the ground. A loud, thundering laugh filled the space; it was an evil laugh that shook the ground. Dawn's eye widened when she realized that it was coming from that evil person… _Kristy's murderer!

_The murderer was pointing to the balloon, laughing loudly. Then, the person pointed at Kristy and laughed even louder. The laughing was so loud, Dawn could hardly stand still. She pulled her hands over her ears, trying to block out the sound, but it wasn't working at all…._

Dawn gasped and sat up. She looked around, wondering where Kristy was, before turning to see Mary Anne. Mary Anne was paler then a ghost, and her jaw was hung open.

"What happened?" Dawn asked.

Mary Anne started speaking very quickly. "Dawn, when you fell asleep, I was so scared… and then the room suddenly became really, really cold and I was more scared then ever! Then I heard Kristy's voice, she was saying something… then I saw her, Dawn, I saw her, and she looked terrible…"

"What did she say? What did she look like?" Dawn asked urgently.

Mary Anne was close to tears, but she took a deep breath. "She was talking about the night of the murder, I think. K..Kristy said that she was going to get a drink of water…that she needed it really bad, for some reason, then she said when she was down there she saw a flash of yellow and felt a pain in her back-"

"Probably," Dawn murmured quietly, "the murderer stabbing her in the shoulder blade…"

"Then she said she felt another pain in her wrist and that she was falling into a deep slumber…" Mary Anne was crying now, though very silently.

"A pain in the wrist?" Dawn asked, confused.

Mary Anne nodded. "Then I saw Kristy…. She was pale, I could see through her, Dawn… and she had blood all over her back, and all down her wrist… and she looked really upset…. Then she disappeared and the room became a normal temperature and you woke up."

"I had a strange nightmare," Dawn said, coming closer to Mary Anne to pat her on the back, comfortingly, "about Kristy… and I think her murderer was in the dream, too."

Mary Anne looked up at Dawn, wiping her tear-filled eyes. "What was the dream about?"

Dawn told her the dream in detail. Then, the two agreed they'd had enough for the night and put everything back before going to sleep. But their rest was plagued with nightmares….

In Dawn's dreams, she saw the same vision over and over again. But the very last time, as she watched Kristy point frantically at the white balloon, Dawn jumped up to grab it. She popped the balloon. A terrible scream emerged from the murderer, who faded away. Kristy ran up to Dawn and hugged her a thousand times, thanking her, although Dawn could not hear her….

Mary Anne dreamt about Kristy, too. They were sitting in the attic, and Kristy looked completely normal… except her wrist was bleeding slightly. She asked Mary Anne for a Band-Aid, and Mary Anne complied.

_What are these images? I don't remember them…. They seem to be like dreams…. Maybe they are dreams! That's it… I'm seeing Mary Anne and Dawn's dreams._

_Bleeding wrist…. I must have died when the person hurt my wrist…. That must have been the thing that killed me, not being stabbed in the back…. Why else would I have died right afterwards?_

_The dream about the balloon doesn't make any sense. All of us were wearing balloons that night, but none of them were floating into the sky…. Why was the sky red, anyway?_

_Balloon… air balloon…_

_Air bubble? _


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Baby Sitters Club or any of its "sister" books. The Baby Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin and Scholastics. I am simply borrowing their characters for a _non-profit_ writing.

**Thanks to: **Ann M. Martin for writing such a great book series and Christopher Pike for inspiring me with his book, _Remember Me_. Without these two, this fanfic would not be.

**Chapter FIVE**

_(ZodiacRain, started 5/26/07)_

"We need to tell someone about this," Mary Anne said the next morning before breakfast.

Dawn and Mary Anne were both very tired from the night before. After the séance, they tried to go to sleep, but the horrible nightmares kept waking them up. It felt like they'd only been asleep for five minutes.

Breakfast, however, was ready. The parents had bought donuts from a local bakery, and they were going to eat in the living room. The police were still inspecting the kitchen, so Dawn, even though she disliked donuts, couldn't complain.

"We can't tell them that Kristy's ghost came to us and showed us her wrist was bleeding," Dawn said, shaking her head. "We can't just say that we saw her wrist bleeding, either, because then they'd suspect us of it."

Mary Anne paled. "We'll, we have to tell someone. If we don't, they won't be able to find Kristy's murderer as easily…."

They both sat silently for a while, contemplating the situation. Then Dawn snapped her fingers. "I've got it!"

"What?" Mary Anne asked.

"You could simply tell my mom and your dad that you saw Kristy had a wound on her wrist," Dawn explained. "It was a stressful night, so they wouldn't be surprised if you'd forgotten something like that."

Mary Anne thought about it for a second, and then nodded. "Okay…"

"Mary Anne, Dawn, come on down!" Richard called for the third time.

"Coming!" Dawn responded, and the two walked down the stairs. Dawn sat down and picked up one of the plainer donuts. As she reluctantly took a bite, Mary Anne coughed.

Sharon asked, "Are you okay, dear?"

"Well," Mary Anne said. "I'm okay… except I remembered something last night. About Kristy…."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. After a few seconds, Richard asked, "Well, what do you remember?"

"I remember," Mary Anne explained, looking down at the donut she had yet to begin eating, "that Kristy had a wound in her wrist. I'm not sure the police noticed that."

Richard and Sharon looked each other in the eyes. "Well, I guess we should call the police with this information…." Richard said.

The two adults stood up and walked out of the room, prepared to tell the police of Mary Anne's discovery. Dawn and Mary Anne sat in silence for a second, but then Dawn asked, "That wound on her wrist… what do you suppose could have caused it?"

"I don't know," Mary Anne sighed. "It wasn't a very large wound, but…"

Another silence filled the room. They listened in on their parents, who were explaining to the police that they might have found something to do with Kristy's case.

"You said," Dawn stated, almost casually, "that Kristy mentioned a flash of yellow? Was anyone wearing yellow at the party?"

Mary Anne sat silently. "No, but everyone had balloons tied onto them. Some of those balloons were yellow…."

"Why, again, were you wearing balloons?" Dawn asked incredulously.

Mary Anne sighed. "We were just having fun and being goofy. There was a mistake on the invitation, and everybody brought balloons with them. We had so many balloons that we didn't know what to do with them. So Claudia jokingly said 'wear them'. So we did… and we wore them to bed, too, when Kristy dared us."

For a moment, Dawn just reflected over that. Then she asked Mary-Anne to get the mystery notebook; Mary Anne complied. She also asked her to get that photo from her party, which Mary Anne gladly did so. She brought her digital camera along as well, because she had more photos on it.

Taking a hold of the photo, Dawn said, silently, "I think the murderer was wearing a yellow balloon. That would explain the flash of yellow Kristy saw, and the balloon I saw in my dreams…."

"So," Mary Anne said after a second of silence, lifting her pencil up, "who was wearing yellow balloons?"

"Abby was wearing a yellow balloon next to her ankle," Dawn said, her voice suddenly cold. "Jessi was wearing a yellow balloon around her stomach. Stacey was wearing a yellow balloon around her wrist. And you, Mary Anne, wear wearing a yellow balloon around your elbow."

Mary Anne stopped writing at Dawn's tone. "I didn't kill her, Dawn," she said quickly, her eyes watering up. "Why would I? We're best friends!"

A nagging voice in the back of Dawn's head stated, _She used to be Logan's girlfriend, too…._ But there wasn't that much evidence for Mary Anne. Besides, she knew Mary Anne… Mary Anne wouldn't do that. She _couldn't _do that.

Both girls jumped when Sharon and Richard came into the room. Looking at the photos, they decided not to ask what they were doing, but instead told them what the coroner had told them.

"It's true that she was struck in her shoulder blade," Richard said, "but that didn't kill Kristy. The coroner had already seen the wound and said that someone had stabbed something into her wrist, probably a needle."

Mary Anne shook violently, as if though she could feel the needle piercing her own wrist.

"It struck a major vein," Sharon continued, "but they couldn't find any poison in Kristy's blood. They believe an air bubble was injected into her blood, instead."

"An air bubble?" Mary Anne and Dawn asked at the same time. Dawn noticed how surprised her stepsister sounded; she was sure that Mary Anne had not killed Kristy.

"Yes," Richard explained. "When an air bubble is injected into someone's bloodstream, it blocks the flow of blood. If the air bubble is large enough, it can stop blood flow completely, causing you to… to, well, die."

"Why was she stabbed at all, though?" Mary Anne asked violently. "If they were going to kill her so subtly, why bother with the knife wound?"

"It was probably a distraction, so that the police wouldn't notice the smaller wound," Sharon said.

Richard continued, "And it probably helped knock Kristy out. Air bubbles don't kill you in five seconds, at least, not an air bubble in the wrist. Kristy probably could have gotten help if she hadn't been stabbed in the shoulder."

Something was nagging at Dawn's mind. The answer was imminent…. She knew that, very soon, it would be clear who Kristy's murderer was. Dawn excused herself from the table, going upstairs into her bedroom. Mary Anne did the same.

"We need to review the notes," Dawn whispered.

They reviewed the notes Mary Anne had written:

_Stacey was the one that found Kristy. Stacey saw death of father; might have gone insane._

_Abby only one at party wearing gloves. Police report says murderer wore gloves. Had befriended Cookie, Kristy's enemy._

_Alan Gray liked Kristy… Kristy dated Adam Pike…left Adam for Byron. Alan/Adam mad for being dumped. Byron angry about fights he was having with Adam?_

_LOGAN BRUNO the idiot went out with Kristy then was dumped. Sore loser…_

Dawn stared at the last one, an eyebrow raised. Mary-Anne was still mad at Logan, that was for sure….

_Kristy saw bright yellow when she died. Abby, Jessi, Stacey and I all wore bright yellow. _

"Who do you think killed her, Dawn?" Mary Anne whispered.

Dawn stared for a second, concentrating. She pieced together the evidence, along with the new evidence. "It's obvious!" she gasped in realization.

"What?" Mary Anne's eyes widened. "Who killed her, Dawn?"

"Didn't you say Stacey had dated Logan before Kristy did?" Dawn asked, her eyes wide with realization. "Wasn't Stacey wearing a yellow balloon? Doesn't Stacey carry a needle around with her all the time, a needle much like the one that killed Kristy? Didn't Stacey see someone murdered in font of her own eyes?"

Mary Anne gasped. "_Stacey_? _Stacey _killed Kristy?"

_I listened in on the conversation, anticipating. Waiting. I would soon learn who killed me…_

"_Stacey? _Stacey_ killed Kristy?" Mary Anne's shocked voice fills the room…_

_Stacey killed me? STACEY? _

_I remember now! Stacey was the one the one that brought those tasty, salty chips to the party…. I couldn't figure out why a diabetic would have something like that, but it makes sense now…. She wanted me to become thirsty, and I did! _

_I crept down the stairs that night, but it was silent, and I couldn't help but be scared. I heard a creak behind me… I thought it was just the old barn settling, but now I know… it was Stacey sneaking up on me…_

_I remember… The sensation of the knife stabbing into my back… Agh, what a horrible feeling… I dropped my cup, and turned around… then I saw that flash of yellow. A yellow balloon! A yellow balloon, that is, tied around a girl's wrist. And that girl's… Stacey's… hand was clutched tightly around my own, keeping me from moving…_

_Then I saw her face. I saw Stacey's eyes and hair, but I didn't see Stacey's smile… The smile seemed too cruel for her. "What are you doing?" I remember asking her._

"_Killing you, KRISTY TOMASH!" she responded. But it wasn't her voice… it wasn't a human voice at all. It belonged to an evil creature, the evil creature I've seen in Dawn's dreams. I can hear it now, that evil voice gloating… laughing…._

_I remember, now, the needle Stacey was holding. I remember that she filled it to the brim with air. I tried to get away, but her grip was too strong. It was stronger then any human's grip. _

_Then she stabbed that needle into me… I remember how terrified I was as I saw the blood trickling down my wrist… She stabbed an air bubble into me, I realize now. That balloon in Dawn's dream… that balloon that floated away into the red sky, causing me to fall and the creature to laugh… That balloon must have been the air bubble, flowing into MY veins!_

_I remember, I was so weak…. The wound in my shoulder was painful, so painful I couldn't keep my eyes open…. _

_But even as I blacked out, I saw Stacey fall to the ground. I saw that evil force inside her body suddenly start to glow. I remember, the last sound I ever heard was Stacey's screams of agony…_

_However… it was Stacey's scream… not that monster's…._


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Baby Sitters Club or any of its "sister" books. The Baby Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin and Scholastics. I am simply borrowing their characters for a _non-profit_ writing.

**Thanks to: **Ann M. Martin for writing such a great book series and Christopher Pike for inspiring me with his book, _Remember Me_. Without these two, this fanfic would not be.

**Chapter SIX**

_(ZodiacRain, started 6/12/07)_

The day of the funeral had arrived. Dawn and Mary Anne remained silent about Stacey, unsure how to tell their parents or the police. They knew they had to tell somebody, but they just didn't know who to tell.

Sharon, Dawn, Richard and Mary Anne silently drove to the funeral. Halfway through the drive, Mary Anne whispered, "Was it really Stacey?"

Dawn looked up to the front, to make sure their parents hadn't heard. Luckily, they seemed oblivious. "All the evidence points to her," she whispered.

"But what motive does she have?" Mary Anne asked. "Why would she want to kill Kristy?"

"I think," Dawn said cautiously, "I think that when she saw her father die, she went crazy."

"It would make sense," Mary Anne muttered. "But why Kristy?"

_Where am I? _

_Oh… a graveyard… Why am I here?_

_Is that mom? Dad? I thought dad was in California…. Mallory's here, too! And Claudia, and Abby and Stacey…_

_Stacey. She's glowing dangerously. No… that force inside her is glowing. I don't like this… We need to get that force away from Stacey…_

_Mary Anne and Dawn have arrived, too. So has Jessi. Wait… practically everyone I know has come… _

_Is this a funeral?_

_This is my funeral, isn't it?_

The funeral ended, leaving everyone in tears. Most of the attendees went inside the chapel to give condolences to Kristy's family. Mary Anne, practically blinded by her tears, started to head inside the chapel, too, but noticed that there were only three people outside.

Dawn, Stacey and herself.

"Dawn…" Mary Anne whispered through a stuffy nose, pointing at Stacey.

"Why's Stacey still outside?" Dawn muttered, wiping the tears off her face. "And why is she wearing a backpack to a funeral?"

Suddenly, without any warning, Dawn marched up to Stacey. Mary Anne followed quickly. "What are you doing?"

_I'm going to find out if Stacey killed Kristy or not, _Dawn thought, _and why. _She didn't care how dangerous it was. She needed to know.

Stacey looked up when Dawn and Mary Anne approached them. There was not a single tear on her face. "What do you want?" she asked. Her voice showed no remorse or sadness, just a little annoyance. It didn't sound like the voice Dawn remembered, but she ignored the thought.

"Stacey, did you murder Kristy?" Dawn asked, her voice soft from the crying rather then blaming. Mary Anne gasped; was she trying to blow everything?

A peculiar expression crossed Stacey's face. She slowly stood up and looked Dawn in the eye. Then, before Dawn could blink, Stacey's hand shot out and slapped her across the face. Surprised, Dawn stumbled backwards, holding onto her aching cheek. She tripped.

Stacey glared down at her.

"You didn't answer my question," Dawn said after a second of silence.

Mary Anne's hand rose, covering her mouth. "Dawn!"

_That being inside Stacey. It's glowing stronger and stronger with every second…. What's that noise? _

_The sky behind the forest has changed. It's blood red, now, just like in Dawn's dream. _

_A single balloon is floating through the sky… how strange…_

A cruel smile crossed Stacey's face. "Yes, I killed her. And as for the inevitable, yet stupid, question why? I was sent a message, a message from the man who murdered my father."

Stacey smiled expectantly as Dawn stood up. "Wh.. what message?" she asked.

"Every person on this planet, Dawn," Stacey explained, smiling menacingly, "will become murderers. We'll hunt ourselves into extinction. And those that refuse to be the murderers will be the murdered. You only have two choices, Dawn… Mary Anne…"

Before Dawn or Mary Anne could respond, Stacey pulled something out of her backpack and jumped at the other blond. Dawn fell to the ground, looking in terror at the needle on the ground. She felt her neck; Stacey had injected an air bubble into a major vein! Dawn gave a small, panicked cry before fainting.

Stacey looked murderously at Mary Anne. Mary Anne realized, silently, that the familiar-looking girl standing in front of her wasn't really Stacey. The imposter took a step forward. Mary Anne's feet seemed frozen to the ground, but only for a minute; with a jolt, she ran into the direction of the forest. Stacey smiled and started running after her.

"_Dawn!" I float to Dawn, but she doesn't hear me cries. "DAWN!" _

_I notice how pale Dawn has become. Then I realize what I must do. Looking up at the bright red sky, I see the white balloon floating… "Don't worry, Dawn, I'll save you…"_

_I have to reach that balloon… I have to get there in time… Come on, Kristy, hurry up… I've got it!_

"_NO!"_

_I dropped it! It's floating away! Come on, Kristy, you need to get this..._

"_Yes!" I've got it! I need to keep it, I can't drop it…._

_What am I supposed to do? Maybe Dawn's better… I've got to see… _

_No, she's still pale… still so deathly pale…. "Dawn, what am I supposed to do? I've got the balloon!"_

_Wait. This balloon… it's an air bubble in Dawn's blood stream, right? I've got to pop it… _

_Yes! It worked! Dawn's standing up!_

_Dawn suddenly turns around to face me. "Kristy? Is that you? Where are Mary Anne and Stacey?"_

"_Get help! Mary Anne needs it!" I cry._

_I don't want to leave Dawn, but I need to help Mary Anne… Now if I can just find her in time…_

"Found you, Mary Anne!" Stacey chuckled. Mary Anne jumped nearly a mile in the air. Looking around, she tried to find some way to escape… some place to hide…

But, to Mary Anne's horror, the trees surrounded her, and the only way she could get out would be to knock Stacey down. Stacey was in front of her only exit. She seemed to notice Mary Anne's indecision, and took her sweet time putting the backpack on the floor. Slowly, she unzipped it and grabbed something out of it…

A knife. Mary Anne's eyes widened at the sight of the blood-covered knife. "That's… Kristy's blood…"

Stacey nodded, suddenly moving closer to Mary Anne. Mary Anne stepped back, until she realized that she couldn't step back any farther- the trees were in the way.

"It _is_ Kristy's blood," Stacey laughed.

"But…" Mary Anne muttered, too terrified to think of anything logical to say. "The knife was found…."

Stacey smiled tauntingly. "I used two knives. It was actually pretty brilliant of me. I had two knives. Who would ever expect that? Why would I stab Kristy with a knife and leave it around for the police to find? If I only had one knife, why would I give it up? No, I stabbed her with this knife. Then, after she fell to the ground, I went upstairs and grabbed the second knife. I held it with cotton pads, however. Oh! You didn't know I kept cotton pads in my backpack, did you? I placed the knife in Kristy's blood. Then I threw this knife out of your OPEN window. Never thought that leaving a window open would assist a murderer, now, DID YOU, Mary Anne?"

Mary Anne was shaking in terror, yet she couldn't help but think of a few flaws with Stacey's logic. "Why would you want the police to find a knife?" she couldn't help but blurt out.

"Well, Mary Anne, if they found a knife," Stacey explained, "then they wouldn't spend as much time searching us. They didn't even bother to look in my backpack, those fools. What idiots! They didn't even search the obvious suspects-"

Stacey's sudden stop left Mary Anne confused. The silence was overbearing. Suddenly, without any warning, Stacey lunged towards Mary Anne, knife in hand. Mary Anne screamed in terror, closing her eyes and awaiting the painful blow.

However, the deadly blow did not come. Mary Anne looked up to see Stacey looking straight at her, her face pale. Stacey was frozen in place, the knife just inches away from Mary Anne's head.

"Kristy?" Stacey asked meekly, staring at the person Mary Anne couldn't see.

_I can't move… I need to help Mary Anne, but that force around Stacey… it's too strong. Stacey's just talking, but she's holding that knife out threateningly… _

_NO! She's jumping towards Mary Anne! I can't let this happen! "Don't hurt Mary Anne!" I yell, now standing in front of the girl._

_But then I remember that Stacey can't see me. The knife is coming closer… I need to become visible, seeable… _

_It's working! Stacey's frozen! And that evil aura around her is fading away, too…_

"_Kristy?" she mumbles. Suddenly, Stacey falls to the ground, crawling away from me. The evil force suddenly separates from her body, violently. I watch in horror as it splits in two. One side of it merges with the unaware Mary Anne, and the other side flows towards the right…_

_Dawn's here, and she's brought the police, too! And my parents, too…. But… that evil force is merging with her…._

"Stacey McGill, you're under arrest!" one of the policemen yelled.

Dawn watched as the policemen grabbed a hold of Stacey and explained to her what her rights were. Something in the back of her mind realized with a jolt that she had almost died that day. If it weren't for Kristy, she'd be dead right now… and Mary-Anne would have died, too.

"Thank you, Dawn. Thank you, Mary Anne."

Clear as day, Kristy's voice rang out into the little opening. However, it was obvious that Dawn wasn't the only one who heard it. Kristy's mother gasped and the policemen looked around, confused. Mary Anne smiled slightly at the sound of her voice, but then burst into tears. Dawn went over to comfort her, listening as Kristy thanked the policemen for saving Mary Anne. Kristy also told her parents that she loved them.

"Wow," one of the policemen whispered as Kristy's voice faded away. "I've never heard of anything like this happening before…"

"I don't think this _has_ happened before," another stated.

The policeman that was holding Stacey said, "I think I actually heard of something like this happening before. It supposedly happened in New York City, when a Mr. McGill's murderer was caught…"

A strange sensation swept Dawn. Or rather, it was the lack of a sensation. It took her a minute to figure it out, but then she realized that Kristy had left. For the first time in the last few days, Dawn couldn't sense Kristy.

Looking up at the sky, she smiled. Wherever Kristy was, it was certainly a lot better there, and Dawn _knew_ Kristy deserved to be there.

"_Goodbye, everyone," I whisper, but I don't think they can hear me anymore. I want to warn Dawn and Mary Anne, but… I don't belong here._

_I'm floating… drifting… I'm finally going to where I belong…._

_I can feel the presence. I could feel the presence of people I knew… Mr. McGill… Janine… and I could fell the presence of people I'd heard about… Abraham Lincoln… Martin Luther King Jr…. I could fell the presence of many, many people, most of whom I didn't know. I can't wait to meet them…_

_But I still feel one last bit of worry within me. Please, Dawn, Mary Anne, please hear me: please don't let the evil force control you…. _


	8. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Baby Sitters Club or any of its "sister" books. The Baby Sitters Club belongs to Ann M. Martin and Scholastics. I am simply borrowing their characters for a _non-profit_ writing.

**Thanks to: **Ann M. Martin for writing such a great book series and Christopher Pike for inspiring me with his book, _Remember Me_. Without these two, this fanfic would not be.

**ALSO! Thank you to everyone who read this story! I hope you enjoyed it! **

**Epilogue**

_(ZodiacRain, started 6/12/07)_

In conclusion, Stacey was found guilty of murder and sent to jail. She couldn't believe that she had murdered Kristy, but to be honest, she truly didn't. The evil force that had possessed her killed Kristy.

And that evil force went on to posses Mary Anne and Dawn. Both, however, subconsciously heard Kristy's final wish and suppressed the evil force. But, as time passed, they forgot Kristy's warning.

Five years after Kristy's murder, Mary Anne worked at a daycare. After a long, hard and particularly unpleasant day, the evil force managed to take control of Mary Anne. The next day, Mary Anne brought a gun to the daycare. Only one of the twenty children managed to escape.

Mary Anne was arrested for nineteen cases of first degree murder and spent the rest of her life in jail, crying over what she did. She'd not only let the evil force control her, but she killed many people, making it _stronger_. Meanwhile, the only child Mary Anne had managed not to kill grew up to become a serial killer.

Dawn remembered Kristy's warning longer then Mary Anne did. She remembered it long enough to get married to her boyfriend, Hideaki. She also managed to have two children with him. However, one dark day Dawn murdered her best friend, Sunny, and her oldest child's best friend.

Sunny's only daughter eventually worked at a zoo. One particularly busy day, she "imitated" Mary-Anne, and brought a weapon to work….

Few people knew the truth behind these killings. For a long time, an evil force existed alongside humanity, taking over sane people, and spreading from person to person. One strand of this evil force spread to Stacey's father's murderer, then to Stacey herself, and then to Dawn and Mary Anne. Dawn spread it into Sunny's child, who spread it to everyone that happened to survive the incident at the zoo. Mary Anne spread it to the serial killer, who spread it to the families of his victims….

Would the chain ever end? It is unknown, but rumor has it that the victims, like Kristy, will come back some day and attempt to break this chain….

**The End**

**Author's Notes: **Thanks, again, for reading this story and sticking through the plot holes and long waiting periods. And thanks to the reviewers! I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it! (And I hope no one was offended by the epilogue…) Okay, to wrap up some things:

Why was Stacey possessed? Well, I'm not sure. I actually wrote the basic plot to this a long time ago. (I think I just randomly chose a baby-sitter.) I actually like Stacey's character a lot… And I like Kristy, too.

Why didn't Stacey take off the balloons? Someone pointed this out to me. The force controlling Stacey didn't take off the balloons because it would have been suspicious. It didn't want people asking: "Why did she take off the balloons? Hmm…" (The real reason is that I needed something dramatic... and I wasn't thinking. Plot-hole…)

What's this evil force? Well, that's reader interpretation….

What did the balloon represent? Technically, it represented two things. It represented the balloons Stacey was wearing when she killed Kristy, but it also represented the air bubble in Kristy's blood. (The last idea was borrowed from the book _Remember Me_ by Christopher Pike.)


End file.
